The world’s first quarry hotel has opened in China, designed by Martin Jochman and his studio JADE+QA. This unique project is situated in an abandoned quarry, 88 meters deep and filled with water. The InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland Hotel features 337 rooms, with only two floors above ground and 16 floors extending below the quarry surface.
After winning the international design competition in 2006, Jochman collaborated with ATKINS on a project spanning more than a decade. The final design, known as “Groundscraper,” includes innovative features such as underwater restaurants and aquariums, all thoughtfully designed to minimize environmental impact.
The quarry’s grass-covered roof keeps the hotel discreet, with only two floors visible above the cliff edge. The 16 floors below cascade down one side of the quarry, creating a stunning “glass waterfall” effect. A vertical transportation core with a sightseeing elevator runs through the center, with guest rooms lining both sides. The lowest two floors are submerged underwater and house guest rooms, restaurants, aquariums, conference and banquet halls, as well as an underwater swimming pool.
The hotel incorporates passive sustainable features by utilizing its orientation, low profile, grass roof, quarry rock mass, and the thermal properties of the lake to create a unique microclimate. This design provides natural cooling in summer and heating in winter, making it a fascinating example of brownfield development—repurposing previously used urban land for new construction.
The biggest challenge for the design team at the start of the project was stabilizing the cliff faces near the hotel’s two wings, a task completed by late 2015. Construction of the internal steel framework began in February 2016, combining the ground foundation with the quarry’s substructure. Interior decoration and exterior landscaping were finalized in October 2018, with the hotel opening to the public on November 15th of the same year.
The completion of the world’s first quarry hotel is among a series of recent milestone projects in China. These include the world’s longest sea-crossing bridge, the first vertical forest city, the tallest atrium, the largest waste-to-energy botanical garden, the largest 3D-printed concrete pedestrian bridge, and the world’s biggest ice sculpture festival, showcasing China’s achievements across diverse fields.
Project Information:
Project Name: InterContinental World Trade Wonderland Hotel
Location: Songjiang District, Shanghai, China
Developer: Shimao Group
Operator: IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group)
Architect: Martin Jochman Dip Arch RIBA – STUDIO JADE+QA (Concept with ATKINS)
Project Duration: 2006–2018
Opening Date: November 15th, 2018
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